


These Little Wonders

by Rabdom



Series: Kill to the Music [4]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Slender: The Eight Pages
Genre: Ben - Freeform, Childhood Memories, Clowns, Comedy, Creepypasta, Funny, Gen, Humor, Jeff the Killer - Freeform, Jeffery Woods - Freeform, Liu Woods - Freeform, M/M, Mention of Slender man, Other, Slenderman - Freeform, Smile Dog - Freeform, Smiles, VHS Tapes, ben drowned - Freeform, clown, crappypasta, creepypastas - Freeform, creepypastas acting silly, funny creepypastas, protective!Liu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26691340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabdom/pseuds/Rabdom
Summary: Liu finds a few tapes he had grabbed when returning to the family home after the death of his parents, and offers Jeff to watch them. In what hopes, he's not quite sure; but the tapes bring up memories of the past, and the thing he never thought he'd ever be able to get over.
Relationships: Jeffrey Woods | Jeff the Killer & Liu Woods | Homicidal Liu, Jeffrey Woods | Jeff the Killer/Slender Man
Series: Kill to the Music [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942312
Kudos: 28





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> These characters do not belong to me (well, maybe except for one); all credit goes to their original owners. The title to the story, as well as the lyrics/songs used (Little Wonders by Rob Thomas and Renegade by X Ambassadors) are not my property.
> 
> Author's Note: So I'm attempting to write a Slenderman/Jeff story (cause I'm weird) and this came to mind while I've been writing it. Just to clarify: Slenderman and Jeff are in a relationship, and in the story I'm writing, have a kid (cause Slenderman is an Eldritch being and lord knows what kind of weird things he could do; so to me it's not surprising he has the ability to knock up a guy at this point though will be explained once I finish the story I'm writing). That, and the monsters here are basically one big, dysfunctional family in a way. I also did some snooping, and form what I found, Liu's supposed to be the older brother, and I gave the age difference between he and Jeff to be about three years (if I missed stating it in one of the chapters, feel free to let me know and I'll try to add it somewhere or let you guys know). Plus, I though protective!Liu would be pretty adorable, and kinda wanted to write something where the brothers ended up making up somehow. Sorry if anyone seems out of character here. But, again, there will kinda be a prequel to this once the better half of it is written out. Let me know if there's any mistakes, and if you guys actually want to see me post that!

_Let It Go_   
_Let It Roll Right Off Your Shoulders_   
_Don't You Know?_   
_The Hardest Part Is Over_   
_Let It In Let Your Clarity Define You_   
_In The End,_   
_We Will Only Just Remember How It Feels_

Liu rummaged through his duffel bag quietly in the living room. The house was all but silent as he could hear Laughing Jack and BEN rummaging around in the kitchen haphazardly -- Liu was sure they really didn’t need to eat anything and where doing so out of boredom; BEN was technically a spirit, after all, and LJ, well, Liu was sure he ate more sugary foods than real food to begin with anyway -- and Liu could only roll his eyes as he pulled out a few clothes and a few knick knacks. And then he gasped as he felt something rectangular near the bottom of the bag. Well, it felt more like three or four of those objects as he felt around more.

But surprise still bubbled up in him as he pulled one of them out. It was an old VCR tape. He hadn’t seen one of those in a very long time, and his mind instantly jumped to when he had first picked them up out of his house before darting off into the night after the -- incident. If he had cared enough to grab them, that meant they were really only one thing. There came a surprised yelp from the kitchen -- from Jack, if Liu knew their voices any better -- as Liu jumped to his feet and ran quickly up the stairs, excitement washing over his scarred face.

“Jeffery! Hey Jeff!” Liu called as he got to his brother’s room -- pausing just short of opening the door, quickly remembering it likely wasn’t just his brother and niece sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. So he opted to knock, albeit rather quietly, instead of simply bursting in. “Hey, Jeff? Are you awake?” Liu now asked quietly. There was some movement heard within before he heard Jeff’s voice.

“Now I am,” Jeff practically groaned. Thankfully, it didn’t sound as if Liu had woken the babe, which was good. Didn’t need a crying child and an angry Jeff for waking said babe up.

“What’d ya want?” Jeff went on.

“Can I come in?” Liu asked, almost slowly. “I got something I wanna show you!” There came a grunt and another groan.

“Yeah, come on,” Jeff invited, now sounding more groggy. Carefully, Liu twisted the doorknob and opened the door slowly.

The brunette peeked his head in first hesitantly, but was glad to find it was only Jeff sleeping in the rather oversized bed; well, that, and Allie, who lay curled up on her father’s chest. One could tell it was Jeff’s kid, what with the small mound of black hair atop her head. Grinning, Liu slithered in the rest of the way, though did his best to keep quiet. It was rather harder than it seemed, especially as he held the tape up to his brother’s face. Jeff squinted, using one hand to keep Allie on his chest while the other propped him. He seemed to study the object before looking at his brother in confusion.

“Okay, so a video tape?” Jeff asked with a shrug. “And you wanted to show me because…..?”

“It’s not just any video tape!” Liu said, leaning on the tips of his toes momentarily. “You remember bef-- when we were younger, and we used to carry that stupid camera everywhere?” Jeff’s brow furrowed as he tried to remember what his older brother was talking about. Liu was about to continue, to try and remind the raven haired man about the memories, when Jeff’s eyebrows shot up in recognition.

“You… still have those?” Jeff asked slowly as he looked back to Liu’s smiling face. His lips would have fallen off had he been smiling any wider.

“Why?”

“Honestly?” Liu asked as his arms dropped to his side, expression falling slightly. “I didn’t even remember I grabbed them when I -- when I went back to the house for, you know, supplies and stuff. I found them in my duffel bag while I was unpacking downstairs.”

“Them?” Jeff asked, tilting his head forward now. “You have more?”

“Yup!” Liu nodded. “I figured we could, you know, watch ‘em? For old time’s sake? I mean, if we can find a VHS player.” Jeff paused for a moment, staring up at Liu almost blankly. Liu was certain Jeff was going to decline and go back to bed.

But he didn’t. Instead, the killer flung his blankets off of his frame to show gray sweatpants that matched his signature hoodie; grip tightening on his child as he stood with a grunt.

“Bet BEN has one,” he croaked as he stood on slightly wobbly legs; Liu hesitating before reaching out and grabbing his brother’s free forearm to help steady him. “He’ll probably let us borrow it.”

“I’mma let you borrow what now?” came BEN’s curious voice as he peered into the open doorway from one side. Jack’s clownish looking face instantly appeared atop BEN’s, which made the ghoul glare up at the taller figure.

“Oooo, are we doing movie night early?” asked the creepy clown excitedly.

“Since when did we have a movie night?” Jeff asked as he shooed Liu away and headed towards the prying figures. “And why wasn’t I invited?”

“‘Cause you don’t like rom-coms,” BEN quipped as he withdrew his head from the doorframe with Jack not too far behind. “Your taste in movies sucks anyway,” BEN added with a snicker from the hall as Liu followed the trio; Jack’s footsteps heading down the stairs at an alarming pace.

“Right, right,” Jeff grumbled as he and Liu followed. “Say, BEN, you wouldn’t happen t’ have a VHS player in your arsenal, would you?”

“I might,” BEN shrugged as they followed Jack back downstairs. The clown had already returned to the kitchen, being not too quiet as he rummaged around for whatever it was killer clowns who liked to stuff their victims with candy liked to eat. “Let me check downstairs, yeah?” The ghostly figure disappeared through the wooden floor quickly. Liu tried not to snicker; it was something he thought he’d only see in movies, really, but it was a practical idea.

Jeff grumbled as he headed to and plopped onto one end of the couch with Liu moving to lean against the wall besides the television while he waited for BEN to return. Said television looked far newer than the living room in which they now resided in. Jack appeared from the kitchen moments later, a rather large bowl with appeared to be snack sized candy in hand and stopping beside Jeff, tilting the bowl towards him.

“Do I want t’ know where you got those from?” Jeff asked as he looked up to the killer clown, shifting a still sleeping Allie in his arms as his brow raised.

“They’re fine,” tsked Jack, gesturing the bowl towards him with a half smile. “I promise!”

Jeff stared at him for another moment as if unsure, before grunting and reaching up with his free hand to take a gracious handful. It was as Jack sat at the other end of the couch, digging his hand into the bowl, that the front door opened suddenly yet silently. Scrapping could be heard, and Smiles in all his creepy glory peered around the corner at the gathering, before becoming noticeably excited and with a quick transformation, trotted to Jeff; muzzle reaching up to sniff and poke at the bundle in his arms.

“Quit that!” Jeff hissed -- though Liu was sure he heard some sort of giggle bubble up behind the annoyed tone -- as shooed him away.

Jack was quick to call the ‘dog’ over with a few cooes. Whether it was because their backs were to the door or they were too focused on Smiles happily asking for attention (or the fact that they no longer noticed anyone coming through the door unless it was trying to outright kill them), Liu wasn’t sure. But it seemed he was the only one who’s eyes were trained on the blank face that first popped into view of the open door, before a long, gangly body covered in a suit ducked through the doorway then carefully closing it behind him. It wasn’t until the Tall Man also made his way around the corner did the two sitting on the couch notice; a white hand gently being placed atop Jeff’s raven locks in what Liu could only assume to be affection.

“Boss man!” Jack practically squealed, nearly knocking the bowl of candy he now held in his lap onto the floor. “You almost missed movie night!”

“‘S not movie night,” grumbled Jeff through a few small candy bars in his mouth; Liu noticed the way he leaned into Slender’s touch before it was gently pulled away. Slenderman’s head cocked to one side in question. “I don’t even remember inviting you, Jack.”

“Uh, yeah, it’s not movie night,” Liu reiterated, now standing straight as he tensed slightly. While most of the other monstrosities he could deal with, he found that Slenderman still made him somewhat uncomfortable whenever he was around. Though whether it was because of the fact that Slender had nearly killed him, or because the Tall Man was basically his, erm, ‘brother in law’ (he still wasn’t sure that that was the right term for whatever the hell Slender was, but he just went with whatever Jeff wanted to proclaim him as), Liu still wasn’t too sure. “I, uhm, found some old tapes from when me an’ Jeff were kids. We were, uh, gonna take a look at them.”

Slenderman’s head turned towards Liu now, and the brunette did his best to not act unnerved at the featureless face staring at him. It was really hard to read what Slenderman was thinking when he didn’t have a face to begin with. There was another moment before Slender looked back down to Jeff, head again cocking to one side. Objects could be heard moving around down in the basement as the silence progressed for another moment before Jeff spoke.

“You know, like home videos?” Jeff asked as if in reply to Slenderman (though how he and Slenderman could communicate to begin with, Liu was still unsure yet was too hesitant to ask). “Like, uh -- Oh! Like those Marble Hornets guys! With the one guy carrying around the camera to record everything they did! Except, you know, it’s me an’ Liu.”

“Aw, how cute!” Jack cooed mockingly, ignoring Smiles as the dog sat expectantly next to the clown with his eyes trained on the bowl full of candies as Jack smirked at Jeff. Jeff merely glared, and Slenderman glanced at Jack momentarily before looking back to Jeff. Another pause ensued as Jack grumbled but otherwise said nothing, tossing what appeared to be an unwrapped hard candy to Smiles who caught it with ease.

“You don’t gotta stay if you don’t want to,” Jeff said with a shrug. “They’re probably just full of stupid stuff anyway.”

“Yeah,” Liu now found himself snickering. “Like you falling off your bike a hundred times ‘cause you’re a dumbass.”

Jeff mocked his brother under his breath as he stuffed another piece of candy in his mouth -- then yelped in mild surprise as Slender carefully stepped over the other’s legs and even more so carefully sat down. While Liu was often unnerved by the faceless man, he had to admit he looked rather funny sitting on a regular sized couch; knees coming higher up than Jack or Jeff’s due to his long legs and one arm folding oddly onto his lap with the other moving onto the back of the couch behind Jeff’s head. There came a sudden thud on the floor below them followed by muffled cursing, causing them to jump; Jack and Jeff snickering as Slenderman leaned forward slightly as if curious towards the sound. There was a brief moment of silence before footsteps sounded up the basement stairs. The door creaked open, and BEN -- now a more ‘regular’ looking Link size wise; or at least, bore the same height as Jeff now that he was less chibi and more adult looking besides the eyes -- appeared, rubbing at his head with one hand while holding a bulky VHS played and cords under his other arm.

“Note to self,” BEN said aloud as he entered the living room, “I can go through physical things when I want to. Non-ghostly things, not as much.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Jeff snickered, earning a glare from his friend. BEN merely stuck out his tongue in retort before moving to the television, almost shouldering Liu out of the way as he began to connect the VHS player.

“You guys are just lucky I still have one of these,” BEN huffed. “You know how hard these are to come by?”

“‘Bout as rare as a NES, right?” Liu asked. “That’s why you haven’t been out to have some ‘fun’ lately, right?”

“No!” BEN huffed as he shifted the television around to plug the cords in. “I just haven’t felt like it, is all. I mean, who else is gonna babysit?”

“Not you,” Jeff snorted. “The last time I asked you to, you thought ‘babysitting’ meant actually sitting on the baby, remember?”

“I was only joking!” BEN huffed as he moved the TV back to facing correctly and now moving to plug the box into an outlet. “Yeesh, no one here knows how to take a joke.” Slenderman looked between the two curiously, before his face fell on Jeff. Jeff rolled his eyes.

“Nah. If he sat on her, you think he’d still be here?” Jeff snorted, leaning into the other’s side.

Allie seemed to shift in her sleep, however didn’t wake. Liu was surprised she was able to do so with all the mute commotion going on. Perhaps Jeff was just a tad bit too fond of his catchphrase that it somehow worked its way onto his daughter. Slender nodded in reply before relaxing; Liu only drew away from the site by a finger poking him hard in the hip.

“Gimme, gimme!” BEN practically ordered when Liu looked down at him, glove covered hand reaching up expectantly. Liu seemed to hesitate before handing the tape over to the Link look alike. “There we go!” BEN said merrily as he turned the box on and pressed the tape in before standing and turning on the TV.

BEN was then quick to dash to and sit in front of the coffee table while grabbing the remote from atop it and began flipping through the channels to find the one the VHS player was supposed to work on; Liu cautiously moved to sit on the floor beside the side of the couch Jeff sat on. He was offered a piece of candy from Jeff, though declined. While Jack was one of the few monsters here he had minimal problems with, he had to agree with Jeff’s earlier statement on the candy. With his luck, they might have once been someone’s organs or something. And while he did enjoy killing a person or two, cannibalism was not.

“There we go!” BEN finally cried once they had hit a blue screen, showing that he was on the right channel. “Alright, time to make some fun of Jeff!”

Jeff grumbled at BEN’s statement, however said nothing as BEN hit play.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A video of Jeff and Liu shortly after Jeff's birth; then Jeff being able to roll over and attempting to crawl.

The first recording on the tape wasn’t too surprising, to say the least.

_“Alright, Liuy, come on,” spoke a man softly directly after the recording began. “Time to get up now.”_

_I_ _t was faced at a small child, easily recognized as Liu from the messy brown hair and green eyes as they fluttered open, as he woke from his slumber on what appeared to be chairs in a waiting room. Liu, who couldn’t have been older than three, rubbed his eyes, letting the blanket fall to the floor below as he gave sound that could be taken as tiredness mixed with confusion._

_“What?” the child croaked. “Is it time t’ go home yet, daddy?”_

_“Almost buddy,” the dad replied with a chuckle. “You wanna come see mommy and your brother?”_

_Liu seemed to hone in on that; small, balled up hands lowering slightly as he looked up to his father with a furrow brow. The toddler didn’t verbally respond, however. Instead he slowly took his father’s much larger, outstretched hand and slipped carefully from the plastic chairs and forgot his blanket and other items around him as his small feet padded beside his father. The camera panned and moved to show a waiting room, then a hallway, followed by double doors which led into the maternity ward. The nurse sitting at the station gave a friendly greeting to the two as they passed; albeit, only the father’s voice was heard replying. They moved a few doors down before stopping at a half opened one._

_“Honey?” came the father’s voice, followed by a light tapping sound; Liu knocking on the glass of the sliding door, perhaps. “You awake?”_

_“KInd of hard not to be,” came the mother’s tired reply. The door was slid open, and Liu quickly came into frame as his father ushered him inside first before following. “Hey, sweetie,” the mother greeted with a half smile as the boy trotted to the right side of the bed. Her hair was disheveled and she seemed to be dressed in a hospital gown._

_Most notably, however, was the small, quiet bundle she held in her arms. The father ushered Liu into a chair he quickly pulled to the side which the boy sat on his knees in to more easily peer at his mother and the bundle she held. “_

_You ready to meet your little brother, huh? Isn’t he cute?” the mother cooed as she angled the bundle for the boy and camera that moved behind the chair to more easily see. Without the mop of black hair atop his head, one might have not easily recognized it as Jeff. Little Liu’s face still scrunched up at the sight._

_“Do we really have to keep him?” Liu whined, earning a chuckle from his father who did his best to hide it, and an annoyed look at the camera before softening and looking back to Liu._

_“Yes, we do,” she replied softly as she withdrew the baby. One had to admit that with her long, brunette hair and green eyes, Liu definitely resembled his mother more. The child leaned back in his chair and huffed, crossing his little arms._

_“Don’t worry, kiddo,” his dad merely laughed, ruffling his oldest son’s hair. “You’ll like him eventually. I promise.”_

_Liu huffed in annoyance at the statement --_

However any reply was cut short as the video went out temporarily before cutting to the next section in the film.

_The camera panned around to show a rather normal, almost pristine looking house; but mainly the living room, which had the coffee table pushed up against the couch, and a small Jeff lying quite comfortably on a blanket in the middle._

_“Alright, little guy,” came the mother’s voice as the camera lowered more to his level. “Come on, roll over. I know you can do it. You just did it. Come on!”_

_“Mommy, you sound like you're talking to a doggie,” came Liu’s giggling voice somewhere off camera._

_“I know, I know,” huffed the mother in what sounded like mild annoyance. “But I told your dad I’d get everything on camera. Oooo, but he won’t do it. Come on, Jeffery!”_

_Jeff, in response, merely cooed and babbled, head darting around the living room before landing on something off camera. There came a ding from the other room, like a microwave, and the mother huffed before the camera was sat on the floor._

_“Liu, honey, watch your brother for a moment while I finish making lunch, okay?” the mother asked as the camera caught her feet walking into the other room._

_There came a huff and Liu, looking roughly four years old now, stumbled into view and promptly sat maybe a foot away from his baby brother who’s eyes were planted firmly on him. Liu seemed to be taking the whole ‘watching’ thing a little too seriously; brow furrowed as he stared as his brother who, almost quite happily, stared back. There was a moment of silence aside from faint sounds of the mother moving around in the kitchen, before little Jeff began to move his limbs. Liu looked confused now, and seemed to move to either grab his mother or stop Jeff, however stopped himself short as Jeff suddenly rolled over, babbling. Liu’s eyes widened, and he looked first towards the kitchen, then the camera and finally back to Jeff. He repeated this a few more times as Jeff reached out a tiny hand to grab at his brother to no avail before Liu’s expression gave way that he had an idea._

_Standing, the young boy moved a few feet ahead of where Jeff’s head somewhat limply rested before sitting back down again. It took a minute for Jeff to lift his head, annoyed sounds coming from his mouth before, weakly, the babe barely managed to prop himself on all fours. Liu’s eyes seemed to widen even more as, slowly, Jeff attempted to crawl his way towards his brother. The only thing that seemed to stop him, as well as Liu’s slowly growing excitement, was their mother returning to them with a plate and bottle in hand -- and an excited gasp._

_“Please tell me we got that on camera!” she almost squealed as she swiftly made her way to the object, leaving what was in hand on the coffee table to pick up the camera._

Again, the screen went black before the next segment of the video started to play.


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff saying his first words -- and then being a little menace.

_The kitchen was more modern than Jeff or Liu likely remembered; especially since it had been so long since they had even thought about the old house they grew up in. The camera sat on the kitchen table, facing mostly Jeff in his highchair while playing and eating what appeared to be cereal with Liu to one side, focusing on some little video game in hand. Their mother moved about the kitchen hastily, though whether she was cleaning or cooking one couldn’t be too sure._

_As she did so, little Jeff (who looked no older than two), glanced back at her before looking at Liu, and then the empty bowl that sat on the highchair’s little table. After a moment, the boy grinned before picking up the bowl and promptly tossing it on the floor between himself and Liu. Liu seemed to glare at his brother before leaning over and picking up the bowl and setting it back in front of Jeff. These actions were repeated a few more times; although Liu's expression kept getting more annoyed, it didn’t stop him from continuing to pick up the bowl for his little brother, especially when he began to whine if it took Liu too long to grab it._

_“You know he’ll keep tossing it down if he knows you’ll pick it up for him, Liu,” their mother chimed after what seemed to be the sixth or seventh time Liu picked up the bowl._

_“Yeah, I know,” Liu grumbled as he again returned to his game._

_Jeff seemed contempt with the bowl where it was now, eating away at his cereal. This only lasted a few minutes, of course, before Jeff again grabbed the bowl and tossed it on the floor between them. Liu, still looking annoyed, didn’t move to pick it up right away, instead focusing on the game in his hands. Little Jeff seemed to glare at his brother, making noises here and there to try and get his attention. Their mother hummed somewhere in the background, the sink running._

_Jeff pouted, sitting back in his high chair as he seemed to think about something. Then, leaning back towards his brother, the boy squealed loudly, “Liu!”_

_This made Liu jump, toy dropping to the table as he looked at his brother in surprise as the camera picked up on their mother gasping and dropping something._

_“Did he just talk?” their mother asked hurriedly. “Oh my god, did he just say his first word?”_

_Liu seemed too surprised to say anything, and so Jeff did it for him. “Liu!” the babe ordered again, hand grasping at the empty space between them as if to say he wanted his bowl back._

_Mouth still slightly agape, Liu bent over and yet again picked up the bowl that had been carelessly tossed to the floor and handing it back to his brother. Jeff happily accepted, now beating the plastic bowl against his miniature table before him with high pitched squeals and giggles._

_“Well, I guess it’s better than your dad winning the bet, him?” their mother asked as she came into view temporarily, first patting Liu on the head before gently taking the now beaten bowl from Jeff who began to protest loudly in babbles and whining. “He thought he’d say dadda first, like you did. Maybe Jeffery just likes you more.”_

_The babe whined in protest, reaching out after their mother before looking back at Liu, who’s face tried to return to the normal, uncaring expression it had (key word: tried). “Liu!” Jeff whined, as if expecting his older brother to retrieve the bowl from their mother for him so he could play with it again._

_Liu just did his best to frown at his brother while he picked up his toy with one hand -- the camera catching his free hand patting Jeff’s head which earned a squeal from the baby --_

When the video cut out again before changing to the next scene. Liu was just glad his face was partly hidden from view by the side of the couch so no one could see his expression soften immensely at the part of the video they had just watched, ignoring a few of the thoughts BEN and Jack began to give Jeff who merely brushed them off.

_The next scene showed a backyard with a pool and several adults and small children mingling around. A party, maybe? The only thing off about the scene was that it was lower down than the others. The camera panned around before shifting through the hoard of adults. One could figure out quickly that the one holding the camera was Liu, if not for the adults greeting him by name as he passed and asking him various questions that he replied to with one or two word answers as he passed. He only stopped when he spotted his mother sitting at a nearby table, chatting with a couple other women._

_“Liu, sweetheart?” she called to him as he rounded the table to get a better look at the above ground pool in the backyard. “Have you seen your brother?”_

_“Yeah,” Liu replied curtly. “I think I saw him playing by the pool.”_

_As if on cue, Jeff, who couldn’t have been more than four, rounded the pool with a few other kids his age not too far behind. The most notable thing, however, was that it appeared that he held something shiny and almost familiar in one of his tiny hands._

_“Jeffery!” came their mother’s raised voice as she noticed him. “What do you have there?”_

_“A knife!” was the raven haired boy’s all too pleased reply as he cackled with laughter, continuing to run with the sharp object around the pool and out of view of the camera._

_Liu could be heard erupting in laughter as the camera’s lens angled towards the ground; their mother shouting, ‘NO!’ as she could be heard running after her youngest son before the video cut_ out.

That, of course, didn’t stop the eruption of laughter within the living room; Jack losing the bowl of candy to the floor and startling Smiles into backing away quickly as the clown bent over in laughter while BEN nearly hit his head on the table behind him in his own laughing fit. Jeff almost had to be held up by Slenderman -- who appeared to be the only one not outwardly laughing, which might have somewhat disturbed Liu had he not fallen against the side of the couch with laughter -- so he wouldn’t fall completely over while holding the baby who shifted but otherwise did not wake.

“See, I always told you you were psychotic,” Liu laughed as he leaned against the side of the couch. He seemed to be close to tears at the sight of the video.

“Of course he would be!” cackled BEN, although he seemed to be fighting for breath in between words.

“That explains so much,” Jack barely got out.

Before them, the video progressed without them. Though the group seemed to care less until their fits of laughter could slowly subside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly got the idea of Jeff running around with the knife from a vine(?) I saw somewhere. If anyone can find it or a YouTube video with let, please let me know!


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liu helps his brother out when he finds him being bullied -- followed by Jeff attempting to learn how to write a skateboard.

_ The camera panned a beautiful summer day, showing a park with a few kids playing here and there on playground equipment or in open areas with soccer balls and other various toys. Liu huffed behind the camera as it did another take of the park before he finally spoke up. _

_ “Jeffery! Come on!” he called as he began walking around. “Mom’s not gonna be too happy if we’re late for lunch again! Jeffery!” The second time he called out his brother’s name was more high pitched than the last, almost annoyingly so. _

_ Liu seemed to search the park for a few moments before the camera landed on what looked like the bathrooms. Liu huffed before making his way towards him slowly. His brother couldn’t have gotten far. Might have even darted to use the facilities when Liu wasn’t looking. The older boy started to call Jeff’s name again as he went to enter the men’s bathroom -- before stopping short verbally and physically as both he and the camera picked up voices somewhere around back. Instantly moved closer to them, and the camera picked up on the voices. _

_ “Where d’you think you’re going, twerp?” said one male voice. _

_ “My brother’s gonna be looking for me,” came a young Jeff’s voice, sounding more aggravated than scared. _

_ “So?” snorted another voice. “You still haven’t handed over that cash a’ yours. So why don’t you just give it, and we’ll let you go, yeah?” _

_ “No!” Jeff snapped back as Liu rounded the corner. “I’m saving it! You can’t have it!” _

_ Two boys no older than his ten year old self had the seven year old Jeff backed against the wall of the facilities; anytime Jeff tried to step forward or around them, the bigger of the two easily pushed him back against the wall. For Jeff’s credit, he didn’t seem all that scared. In fact, he seemed more angry and annoyed than anything. _

_ “Oh, what’re you gonna get?” the first boy -- the bigger one -- taunted. “Some ice cream?” _

_ “Probably another teddy bear,” the second one chided.  _

_ Both laughed at that remark, and Jeff balled his fists up in anger now. He tried to swing one at the larger of the two boys -- but was easily stopped and now shoved much harder than his little body needed against the brick wall. There came an annoyed growl from Liu as the two continued to taunt Jeff, not realizing that Liu had slowly pulled himself and the camera more into view. _

_ “Aw, what?” the larger boy asked. “Does the little baby think he can fight us?” _

_ “No, but I know I can!” came Liu’s swift reply as the camera blurred as he darted at them; the three looked at him in confusion as the camera picked up Liu shouting, “Jeff, quick, catch!” before it seemed to fly through the air. _

_ The camera faltered momentarily as Jeff barely caught it; one of the boy’s shouting angrily followed by the sounds of someone falling before Jeff could steady the camera and aim it upwards. The smaller of the two bullies had been shoved to the ground quite easily by the young Liu, who had launched himself onto the larger one’s back and held onto his neck even as he was swung around in an attempt to get him off. _

_ “Go, Jeff, go! Run!” Liu shouted at his brother, and Jeff wasted no time in listening. _

_ The camera turned and went unfocused as Jeff darted away, his heavy breaths quickly caught on camera only after a minute or two of running. He didn’t seem to stop until the sounds of fighting and shouting ceased to be heard. And when he did, Jeff panned the camera around as he tried to catch his breath. While still within the park, he had found himself on the edge of the woods that boarded it. Looking around, he was no longer near the bathrooms; the nearest playground a good thirty or so feet away with no one the wiser of he or his brother. _

_ “Ooh, oh no,” Jeff managed to whine once he had stopped panting.  _

_ He seemed frightened at the very least, and after walking a few more feet ahead of him, did the only thing a seven year old could possibly do -- he walked to the nearest tree and seemed to sit with his back against him, camera being laid down in front of him with the lens facing away from him.  _

_ “Yeah, I’ll just wait here,” Jeff could be heard muttering to himself. “.... Or was I supposed to run home? Aw, crap.” _

_ Jeff whined, although he didn't move from his spot. Instead, he could be heard shifting around momentarily before everything went silent. Kids could be heard distantly playing, the sounds of wildlife more apparent through the camera as Jeff silently waited. The video ticked by like this for what seemed like ten or so minutes before one could hear Jeff breath in deeply like an inverted gasp. It took a moment for the camera to pick up on the sounds as well. _

_ “Jeff! Jeff, where’d you go, buddy?” one could hear Liu call distantly. There was another moment of silence before the camera and Jeff picked up on a much closer, though much higher pitched cry of, “Jeffery!” _

_ Jeff scurried to his feet, picking up the camera haphazardly as he trotted towards the sound of his brother. It made it some odd feet before coming to a closed up concession stand that appeared to be in disrepair by the nearest playground; Liu rounding the corner with one hand held up to his nose. His left eye looked rather puffy, and no doubt would swell and bruise later on. _

_ “Liu! Are you alright?” Jeff asked. He almost sounded panicked. _

_ “Yeah, I think I’ll be fine,” Liu laughed as he removed his hand to show a swollen and bloody nose. The brunette must have not noticed that it was bloody, as he cringed at the sight of blood that was likely now on his hand. “Ugh, dunno how I’m gonna tell mom, though,” Liu spoke as the camera panned the rest of him; nothing else seemed to be damaged, at least. “She won’t be too happy I got into a fight again.” _

_ “You could just say I hit you in the face with a basketball,” snorted Jeff, though his voice still showed his worry. _

_ “That might explain the nose  _ _ or _ _ the eye,” Liu said slowly, “but she probably won’t believe you hit both. Especially not on one hit.” _

_ “Oh, right,” said Jeff. “Sorry. I just should’ve given ‘em my money. At least mom wouldn’t be mad at you, huh?” _

_ “Nah, it’s fine, little bro,” Liu laughed, gesturing for the camera which Jeff happily handed over. It moved as though Liu was looking over it before the lense stayed planted to the grass below. “It’s your money, anyway. Besides, you would’ve done the same for me.” _

_ “I dunno about that jump you did,” giggled Jeff as the camera and duo began to move; Liu stepping on a few flowers as he went along. “That was pretty cool!” _

_ “Yeah, that was kinda cool, even for me,” Liu snorted as he seemed to fiddle with the camera for a moment -- _

Before it went black again. It seemed to go fuzzy before it even began to work. Yet in the darkness of the living room, Liu couldn’t help but smile at the clip, a hand instinctively going to his nose as he remembered the day. He heard Jack giving him and Jeff a hard time with off handed comments, though Liu couldn’t find himself to care all too much about what the clown thought. Besides, from the sounds of it, Jeff had them covered.

The next video began to play rather quickly after that.

_ The camera showed what appeared to be a skate park; children -- mainly boys, it seemed -- riding primarily bikes and skateboards along the various obstacles and dips. The camera moved around to take in more of the scenery until it landed on an approaching Liu who looked no older than twelve or thirteen, dressed with a helmet, knee and elbow pads. _

_ “Hey, Jeff! Wanna try out your bike again?” Liu asked as he nodded off camera; more than likely to the bike which probably lay abandoned. _

_ “No,” was Jeff’s curt reply, camera shaking in tandem with his shaking head. Liu let out a curt laugh. _

_ “What? Afraid of falling off again?” Liu snorted as the camera panned back to the rest of the skate park. _

_ “I just don’t wanna,” Jeff huffed. Liu raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. _

_ “Well, come on then,” Liu said, hand reaching behind the camera to seemingly move Jeff as the camera turned, “I wanna go practice my kickflips anyway. You can watch, I guess.” _

_ Jeff made a noise of agreement as they walked around the larger pit that kids dipped into and flew out of. Once or twice, the camera caught a kid failing to fully reach the top and promptly topple down with a shout, or gain too much speed and come crashing down the concrete at the edge. Jeff and Liu’s laughter could be heard as they talked among themselves as they circled the area before coming to a ramp where a few older teenagers used it to skate up and down; practicing tricks here and there as they did so. The boys seemed to watch them practice for a few minutes before either of them spoke. _

_ “Maybe we should try somewhere else,” Liu offered, and for a moment sounded as if he started walking away when one of the teenagers who was watching the others -- his friends, maybe -- turned to them at the sound of Liu’s voice with a questioning expression. _

_ “Hey, you guys wanna use this?” he asked just as Jeff turned to follow his brother before the camera quickly panned back. _

_ “No, it’s fine,” came Liu’s reply. “I was just gonna use it to try to do some kick flips. It’s okay, we can find somewhere else.” _

_ “Maybe we can help,” the teenager, who could have been no older than sixteen, offered. Two of the boys that were skating down the ramp stopped as they got to the bottom, kicking up their skateboards at the sound of their companion talking to them. “Hey, guys, come here! Wanna help me out for a minute?” _

_ They seemed to talk among themselves before the first teen gestured to Liu. The camera turned momentarily to face the brunette as he looked to Jeff, before giving him a shrug. _

_ “Just -- stay here and don’t drop the camera,” Liu half ordered, the camera nodding with Jeff’s head as Liu walked over to the boys. _

_ The ramp seemed to clear almost instantly at the older teen’s request, and the video proceeded to show Liu being assisted by them -- the two latter standing on either side of the bottom while the older one seemed to walk Liu through the trick before trying to help him with it. It only took Liu a few tries and falling -- thankfully, he didn’t get too beat up due to his helmet and pads -- before he was able finally get the trick down, and then succeed a few more times with a triumphant cry each time.  _

_ Jeff seemed to grow bored after some time, camera occasionally scanning back over the park to watch the others do whatever little odd stunts they wanted. It wasn’t until the camera finally panned back to show Liu talking with the other boys, occasionally gesturing to Jeff with a nod or shake of his head. For a moment, one would assume the boy was forgotten -- until Liu’s brow raised and he looked to Jeff. _

_ “Hey, kid, you wanna give it a go?” asked the older teenager as he looked at the boy behind the camera with a gesture. There was a pause as Liu looked to him with a questioning expression. _

_ “Uh, sure?” Jeff replied slowly.  _

_ Liu walked towards him at that; telling his younger brother, “Here, trade you!” as he offered the skateboard to him. That was instantly exchanged and quickly showed Jeff in his own safety attire hobbling towards the small group with Liu’s skateboard in hand. _

_ The child was helped onto the top of the ramp, although he seemed a bit nervous as he sat the skateboard on the concrete and placed one foot on it. Liu could be heard chuckling behind the camera. _

_ “I-I’m not really good at this,” Jeff could be heard saying as he slowly stood fully on the skateboard and wobbled slightly. _

_ “Nah, you’ll be fine,” said another teen as he moved and gently grabbed Jeff’s elbow to help keep him steady and not suddenly going down the ramp -- or falling off of it. “Just keep your hands up and try not to look down -- there, like that! Now just focus on staying on and push the board forward --” _

_ The video seemed to cut a few times, showing Jeff going down the ramp in a few failed attempts. The board slipped from underneath him twice, and he practically skidded down the ramp while the board stayed atop it more than once. But, to his credit, Jeff didn’t cry whenever he fell face first into the concrete, and quickly stood each time to return to the top of the ramp as the small group that had begun to form with more children of various ages and an adult or two aided him in trying to get it right. _

_ It must have been the ninth or tenth time when Jeff finally got it right; sliding down the ramp without falling off of the board and finally able to do the kickflip without landing face first onto the ground. The group instantly erupted in cheers and applause (and mild laughter), and Jeff looked excitedly to the camera and Liu with a large smile on his face and fists thrown high above his head -- _

_ And was narrowly caught by the first teen by the shirt before he could drop down in the bigger pit without him even noticing he was slowly drifting towards it; Liu erupting in laughter at his brother’s surprised expression as he jogged towards him to help pull Jeff and the board away from the imminent danger. _

_ “You’re a dumbass,” Liu was heard chuckling. Jeff’s nose scrunched as he stuck his tongue out. Jeff’s attention quickly turned back to the ramp that was off camera, the sounds of skateboarders returning to the ramp in a drove as Liu paused momentarily. “It’s almost time for dinner,” Liu finally mused, regaining Jeff’s attention. “We should probably head back home.” _

_ “Aw man,” Jeff whined, stepping off of the skateboard for Liu to retrieve and carry as the camera turned back to the teenagers using the ramp. _

_ “Thanks, guys!” he called, earning their attention momentarily to receive waves and goodbyes as the camera faced forward as the two began to walk. “Don’t forget your bike!” Liu chided as they neared the exit. _

_ Jeff gave an, “Oh, right!” as he darted off camera for a second, Liu pausing at the exit until the sounds of wheels neared him. “See, I told you I could learn how to ride a skateboard!” said the raven haired boy with excitement as he wheeled his bike over and the two exited the park and began their journey home. Liu snorted. _

_ “You learned how t’ do a kick flip, is all,” he said. “Doesn’t mean you know how to actually ride a skateboard.” The camera panned to the boy to show him sticking out his tongue, causing Liu to laugh. “Maybe if we come back tomorrow, you’ll get better at it,” Liu added, camera panning to show a street filled with what appeared to be shops spaced graciously apart ahead of them. _

_ “Really? We can?” one could hear Jeff say excitedly. Liu chuckled. _

_ “Yeah, if mom and dad say it’s alright.” _

_ Jeff whooped and appeared on camera in front of Liu as he attempted to hop on his bike while he pushed it down the road. He managed to do so, however without training wheels, barely made it a foot before comically falling over; Liu half shouting, half laughing, “Jeffery, no!” as he ran to his brother, trying and failing to catch him before he hit the ground -- _

And the screen again went black, but this time only for a second before continuing with the next video.


	5. Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liu and Jeff often come as a package deal in their youth; and while often teasing his younger brother, Liu doesn't seem to mind.
> 
> And it seems to be moving day; the boys look eerily like themselves before their incident occurred, without their tattered frames.

_ The next scene came on to hearing Jeff talking excitedly and quickly in their kitchen as he held the camera; Liu sitting at the table with a rather pretty, blonde haired girl who the boys didn’t seem to notice was staring at the older boy, who seemed to be around fourteen or so. _

_ “-- and then I totally beat him!” Jeff was saying as the camera stilled to the two teenagers sitting at the table. The blonde seemed quite annoyed as she glared at the camera -- or, more than likely Jeff rather than the camera -- as Liu laughed, sitting the gameboy he had in his hands down on the kitchen table. _

_ “Only ‘cause I let you win,” Liu snorted with a raised eyebrow as he leaned forward on the table. The girl seemed to shift in her seat before poking at Liu’s jacket covered arm, earning his attention quickly. _

_ “Hey Liu,” she practically whined, “can we go to your room? It’s getting cold down here.” _

_ “Oh, sure,” Liu shrugged, picking up his game and slipping out of his seat as the girl followed suit. _

_ The camera moved as the two rounded the table and exited the kitchen before following shortly. The camera panned to the living room as they left, barely missing the girl turning back to glare at Jeff as he followed them up the stairs and to the first door on the right. Liu’s room seemed rather barren, aside from his bed, side table and dresser; a few clothes sitting in a pile by the end of his bed and some posters of a few rock bands hanging on the wall. Liu plopped down on his bed with the girl following suit; the camera again barely missing the glare she gave to Jeff as he panned around the room before looking back to the two. Liu had half continued his game, half continued to talk about the school they went to with the girl. It only took a few minutes before Jeff spoke again about something other than what he and his brother had done at the park. _

_ "I need t' pee!" the young Jeffrey announced, and setting the camera on the side table beside Liu’s bed that faced the far wall and away from the two teens, seemed to rush out judging by the heavy footsteps. _

_ "Why d' you let him bother you all the time?" the girl asked Liu, or rather practically whined, once she seemed sure the young pre teen was gone after hearing the bathroom door down the hall shut. There came a huff from Liu before he spoke. _

_ "What? He's not bothering  _ _ me _ _ any," Liu said almost casually. "Besides, he just wants to hang out, is all." _

_ "Well, it bothers me," she huffed in rebuttal. If one knew any better, she was likely pouting. "It gets annoying sometimes, don't you think?" _

_ "Not really," came Liu's serious sounding reply. "And, hey, if you don't like it, you can always leave. No one’s making you hang out with  _ _ us _ _." One could hear the girl half scoff, half laugh, and the room went quiet for a long moment. "I'm serious!" continued Liu. "You know where the door is. And your house is close. You can make it there by yourself just fine." _

_ "Seriously?!" Now the girl sounded outraged. There was another pause, before the girl grumbled, Liu's mattress squeaking before her figure passed the camera. "Fuck you too, then, jerk," she spat, her angry footsteps resounding down the hall to the stairs, then down. _

_ "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Liu called after her before the front door promptly opened and then slammed shut, leaving Liu alone with the camera. "Cunt," Liu could be heard muttering before he was left in the silence of his own room. _

_ After a long pause, the toilet down the hall flushed, followed by the sink. Jeff's footsteps could be heard thumping down the hall after the bathroom door opened, however paused shortly after entering his brother's room again. _

_ "Where'd Ashley go?" Jeff could be heard asking curiously. _

_ "Oh, uhm, her parents called," Liu fibbed. "Said they wanted her home for -- something. She wouldn't say what." _

_ "Oh," quipped Jeff, footsteps sounding again before the camera was picked up and turned to Liu, who sat forward with his elbows on his thighs as he looked up at his younger brother; whether it was worry or relief on his face, one could not tell. "So… wanna go to the park and shoot some hoops, then?" Jeff asked, tone now excited. _

_ "Sure," Liu shrugged, sitting his gameboy on his bedside table and moving to his closet with the camera following behind. "But no cheating this time, yeah?" Liu went on with a chuckle. _

_ "Who said I cheated?" asked Jeff as Liu opened the closet door and began to rummage through it. "I totally won fair and square last time"! _

_ " _ _ Right _ _ ," Liu said sarcastically as he began to back out of his closet. _

_ The camera moved as Jeff made his way out of the room, Liu’s footsteps close behind as one could hear the basketball being dribbled a couple of times -- before their father’s shouting to stop messing around in the house caused them to laugh with childish glee as they began running down the hall and stairs and towards the door -- _

  
  


Before the video again cut out. It seemed to take a bit longer before the next clip decided to play. But the next one -- it was most certainly as recent as it could have gotten. At least, as recent as before the ‘incident’. Except -- 

Even Jeff didn’t seem to notice Liu quickly and quietly scoot away from the couch before silently moving to the door; the others assuming Smiles jumping up to follow him as the dog deciding it was bored and going elsewhere in the house to get away from the commotion the others were making. Liu opened the door slowly and quietly, and slipped out with Smiles close behind. Liu knew the others -- or at least Jeff; he wasn’t too sure the rest had such earthly feelings as he and Jeff did -- would probably worry about him up and leaving without a word, but at the moment he couldn’t take watching the rest of the videos.

Yet even Liu didn’t notice the Tall Man turn his head slightly towards the door as the homicidal maniac left before setting his hand gently on Jeff’s head; the raven haired man responded with a hum and letting his head rest on the other’s side as the videos continued.

_ The house in the video was practically barren, aside from a few cords and a blanket or two. The camera panned around the living room, where only a wrapper remained. Turning, the cameraman made his way up the stairs rather loudly until it came to a hallway with a few assortment of doors to the right and left. _

_ “Hey Jeff!” called Liu’s voice, first normally (though it sounded all too familiar to them), as he made his way down the hall. Then, in an annoyingly high pitched voice, he called again, “Jeffery!” _

_ “Room!” came the curt one word reply from down the hall. _

_ Liu quickly made his way to the end of the hall, turning into a half opened door. When opened, one would find it also void of any furniture aside from a rolled up sleeping bag on the floor. Jeff stood somewhat off centered in the room, looking around it with what could only be deemed as disapproval, hands on his hips. He looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen, placing Liu at roughly sixteen. _

_ “Looks a lot bigger than I thought it would be,” Jeffery mused once he finally looked to his brother and almost right into the camera. “Who knew.” _

_ “Anyone with half a brain,” Liu snickered as he entered the room. The camera panned around it before landing back at Jeff, who had turned to the camera with shit eating grin on his face. _

_ “Oh haha,” said the younger brother sarcastically. “I guess if you’re gonna be like that, I won’t tell you what I found.” _

_ “Your real parents?” Liu deadpanned, though was obviously supposed to be a joke. Jeff instantly gave him a sour look and rolled his eyes as he moved away towards a closed door in the room -- the closet. _

_ “Just c’mere,” Jeff ordered with a wave of his hand. The closet door squeaked rather loudly. While as barren as the rest of the room, Jeff motioned to the bottom left side of the closet, which housed an opening covered by a wooden panel. _

_ “And you wanted to show me where you hid your porn stash because…?” Liu asked slowly as he panned the camera back to Jeff. The younger teen had an annoyed look on his face, left eye twitching slightly. _

_ “Just open it up!” Jeff ordered.  _

_ Liu huffed, however did as he was told. Getting down to the opening’s level with the camera in one hand, another reached out and gently moved the board covering the opening until he was able to pull it out. Liu seemed to mess with the camera for a moment before the light turned on, and the camera was lowered to peer inside the crawl space. One could see from the camera’s angle that it went on for a few feet, before surprisingly opening up into some kind of room. _

_ “The fuck?” Liu breathed as the camera turned back to Jeff, who was leaning partly into the closet. _

_ “Right though?!” Jeff asked excitedly. “I’m surprised I’ve never seen it before now!” _

_ “Probably ‘cause your closet was always packed with a bunch of useless bullshit,” Liu chuckled as the camera moved back to the younger teen. _

_ "Oh, screw off," Jeff said. “Now, are you gonna crawl in and check it out with me before we leave, or do I have to stuff your body in there and tell mom an’ dad you ran off somewhere?” _

_ “Is that a threat, or a promise?” _

_ Jeff’s second deadpan expression would make one believe he was serious, but Liu simply snorted with an, “Alright, alright,” before the camera turned back to the crawl space and began to shuffle through it. Just as Liu made it inside and stood, Jeff could be heard following behind. _

_ The room was small, dark and dusty; the only objects to be seen aside from a small, round window with wooden slats was a cardboard box and a few newspapers. The light from the camera was just barely bright enough to aid the window in illuminating it in all its glory. Liu stepped further in and panned the camera around before landing on Jeff, who stood wiping off his jeans. _

_ “Too bad we didn’t find this earlier,” the raven haired teen spoke, voice echoing slightly in the small room. “Could have been a secret hiding place or something.” _

_ “For dead bodies, maybe,” Liu snorted as he made his way to the box. Aside from a few crumpled up papers, the box was also empty. _

_ “Or parties!” Jeff chimed. _

_ “What, like we could get away with having raves up here,” Liu laughed as the camera zoomed in on the newspapers. Most had the words faded away, what was remaining giving no clue as to what they might have been covering at the time they were published. “It’d be too easy for them to hear us unless they went out of town or something.” _

_ “Hey, you never know!” Jeff said enthusiastically as the camera turned towards him again; eyes squinting slightly at the light.  _

_ His skin oddly only looked a few shades darker than when it was charred. He was definitely pale regardless of the incident. The only thing that seemed outlandishly different was the fact that he wore a t-shirt with the name of some band scribbled on the front that had faded away with time, raven hair stopping just short of his shoulders. Liu merely groaned before the camera panned around the room once more. _

_ “Boys! Let’s go! The van’s gonna leave without us if you don’t hurry!” _

_ Their father’s voice was barely audible on camera, but both boys obviously heard the voice loud and clear; the camera turning rapidly around as the two both assumingly stared at each other for a moment before they both rushed to the crawl space with the two laughing as Liu jokingly shoved his brother to make him hurry with an added, “Go, go, go!” before the camera again went black. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, next one's gonna be a little sad. Don't continue if you don't want feels.


	6. Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liu regrets not being able to aid his brother after Jeff got set on fire by the bullies; an event that changed their lives forever, though for good or bad one could not fully be sure about. Of course, Jeff only realizes after the video finally ends that his brother had snuck away on the group while they were engrossed in the footage.
> 
> And, of course, Jeff starts to feel more human again.

Jeff’s torso shot forward almost suddenly on the couch, causing Jack to startle slightly before grumbling and turning his attention back to the video that slowly began to play again. Jeff’s brow furrowed as he seemed to focus; recognizing the scenery all too well. Was this clip even supposed to be here? Or did Liu mean to show it? He didn’t seem to question it as the scene finally began to play.

_ The setting could only be the kitchen; the fridge the backdrop for Liu as he sat at the kitchen table, face in one hand as he breathed rather erratically with the other hand thrumming on the table. Footsteps landed from somewhere else in the house until they entered the kitchen, and the mother spoke softly to Liu  _

_ "Liu, honey, are you alright?" she asked softly, as if any louder and the brunette would break. _

_ "What do you think?" Liu snapped back in response, head momentarily lifting to glare at his mother. It looked as though the older boy had been… crying? His head returned to his hand as the mother approached, her head out of frame as a gentle hand was placed on her son's shoulder  _

_ "Honey, sweetie," she spoke in a still soft, though now quivering, voice. "Jeffery -" _

_ " _ _ Jeff _ _ ," Liu corrected, though face unmoving from his hand."His name is Jeff." _

_ "-- Jeff will be alright," the mother went on. "The doctor's said he'll be able to come home in a couple of days." _

_ "And?" Liu retorted, now leaning back in his chair and placing both hands on the table as he again glared up at his mother. "So  _ _ what _ _? That still doesn't change what happened. That he's severely  _ _ burned _ _ , mom! That those fuckers --" _

_ "Liu, language!" his mother scorned, which seemed to only infuriate the teenager more. _

_ "What? That's what they are!" Liu spoke louder than needed, shifting in his chair and brushing his mother's hand away. "They set him on fucking  _ _ fire _ _ , ma! And they got off scott free!" _

_ "Sweetie, no, the police -" _

_ " _ _ No _ _! Don't you  _ _ sweetie _ _ me!" Liu almost jumped from his chair, grabbing the camera quite aggressively as he moved past his mother. "You don't fucking get it! It's like you and dad don't even care!" _

_ "Liu! Where do you think you're going?!" _

_ "Out," was the curt, one word reply as the camera faced down to the wooden floor.  _

_ Footsteps could be heard following him from the kitchen, followed by another pair from the living room before they stopped all together. _

_ "Let him go, honey," came the father's voice as the camera showed Liu hurriedly putting on his shoes while grumbling to himself before the front door opened and then slammed it shut loudly. _

_ Liu moved down the sidewalk of their front lawn before stopping short of the road. Instantly the camera flung upwards and panned to the neighborhood who's houses glowed dimly or not at all in the night. Liu could be heard breathing heavily, and the camera began to shake slightly. Finally, after a long moment of looking up and down the street, Liu erupted with a reverberating cry. It sounded angry, disheveled -- in agony, almost. One or two lights in a few houses turned on, but otherwise the neighborhood stayed silent once the cry ended. Liu turned, and began walking angrily down the street as he spoke, voice seething with hatred and anger. _

_ "I hate this fucking town. I hate this fucking neighborhood. I hate that house, those fucking kids. I hate being this fucking  _ _ useless. _ _ And I hate this  _ _ fucking _ _ camera!" _

_ Suddenly the device was thrown haphazardly to the ground. Although the screen cracked upon impact, the camera was otherwise intact and faced so that one could see Liu's figure tromp down the street; the teen putting the hood of his jacket over his head as his form slowly disappeared from view. It only took another moment after the teen disappeared before the camera began to beep, the battery showing that it was dying -- _

And the screen cut to black, leaving the unkempt living room in utter silence momentarily. Jeff was barely able to break the silence as he looked for the right words to say before turning to the side of the couch to speak.

“Hey, Li-- the fuck’d he go?”

The others minus the tall figure in the middle of the couch jumped at the sudden cursing and turned to see Jeff partly leaned over the side of the couch and looking in confusion at where his brother had once been.

“Did he leave?” BEN asked, confused as Jeff stood quickly though still holding tight to Allie. “When did he leave?”

Now Jeff seemed to be something one might never think they would see in Jeff’s malformed face -- worried. His usual smile now formed an obvious deep frown, eyes darting around the living room as if hoping his brother would be hiding in the shadows somewhere.

"Maybe him and Smiles went to bed," Jack offered as he picked a piece of candy off the floor. 

Slender seemed to touch Jeff's arm gently as the raven haired killer stood, and his eyes darted to the other. His expression fell quickly during the 'exchange'.

"He did what?" Jeff asked flatly, eyes now darting to the door. "Why'd he leave?"

"It's kinda late for a walk, don't you think?" Jack mused as he grabbed at the fallen bowl. Jeff glared at the clown and grumbled; but instead of jumping him like he wanted to, Jeff instead thrust the babe in his arms to the Tall Man, who jerked back momentarily in surprise before gently taking it from the killer.

“I’ll be back,” Jeff informed as he grabbed his hoodie as he headed for the door. “I’mma go see where he went.”

“Want me to help?” BEN asked as he moved to stand.

“ _ No _ ,” Jeff practically ordered, and a look of hurt passed the ghoul’s face before he grumbled and sat back down. It wasn’t like Jeff couldn’t take care of himself, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Liu. ;-;


	7. Part Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeff manages to finally find and somewhat confront Liu in the woods the brunette had retreated to think; and after finally having a moment of peace, forgiveness could be found. Of course, not all good things are meant to last, especially considering the boy's current track record.

The woods were dark as Jeff trudged through them, any moonlight that would have helped him to see muffled by the leaves that shook silently in the wind. His eyes darted right and left, and his voice could occasionally be heard calling out to his brother or to Smiles in the hopes one would answer in some fashion; but no one did. Jeff hated to admit that he was worried. He was sure his brother wouldn’t do anything stupid; but there were a lot of strange things in these woods that unnerved Jeff, if not could easily eat him or snap his neck in one bite. Thankfully, most sentient beings left those that gravitate around the house in the middle due to Slenderman’s presence and protection over those that resided there; but there were still plenty that were not as  _ friendly _ .

Thankfully, it seemed he had good luck on this night. So far, the only life he heard was the normal night life he remembered hearing in the before times; owls, crickets and the likes. He supposed he should be glad about that, but that only made him unnerved. Something could just as easily be stalking him silently, without his knowledge; making him wish he had taken up BEN’s offer of joining him in the search. While not the strongest monstrosity, his ghostly abilities would have made him easy bait while Jeff ran for cover, and the elf could just as easily hide in the high treetops until whatever beast lost interest and left or until Jeff could retrieve Slenderman to help deter the beast.

Jeff was close to simply giving up and returning to the house to wait on Liu’s return when he paused. Were those footsteps? Jeff waited for a long moment, believing that he was just hearing things -- until he heard the sound again, followed by something landing in the underbrush and then more footsteps. His head cocked to one side in confusion as he listened closely, the sounds continuing. Slowly, carefully, Jeff followed the noise in the hopes that it  _ wasn’t _ going to eat him --

And promptly got hit straight in the head with a stick. Jeff cursed to himself and bent down to grab the intruding object, only to make it half way back upright before coming face to face with none other than Smiles; the dog happily wagging his tail as he spotted Jeff and giving out a loud bark as he trotted over.

“Smiles?” came the familiar voice of Liu as Jeff reached down to pat the dog before handing over the stick which the canine happily took. “Smiles, where’d you go, buddy? Jeff’ll be pissed if I lose you out here, ya know.”

Instantly the dog turned and trotted back to the sound of the voice and footsteps, with Jeff close behind. Liu wasn’t hard to find, meeting the dog halfway and giving a half hearted greeting as he bent down to pat Smiles on the head and retrieve the stick. He stood and went to toss it in Jeff’s direction -- but paused once he realized his brother was there.

“Oh,” Liu spoke softly, half lowering the stick as he spoke (and much to Smiles’ disappointment as the demon dog whined in protest). “Uh, hey.” 

He didn’t dart off or anything, much to Jeff’s relief; instead opting to toss the stick in another direction with Smiles taking off swiftly after it.

“Hey,” Jeff replied, hands instantly going into the front pocket. “You alright? You kinda disappeared there. Kinda your idea to watch those tapes in the first place.” He tried to add a chuckle that was just a bit too forced for even his taste. Liu looked to the forest floor as Smiles came trotting back with the stick in his mouth which Liu gladly took and threw again.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry for running off like that.” Liu turned to watch Smiles dart off after the stick again, Jeff realizing that that was the sound he heard moments ago, glad that the monster he thought was stalking him was simply Smiles playing a game of fetch. “I just --,” Liu sighed before finally looking at Jeff though not seemingly making eye contact, “I kinda thought I’d forgotten about all those times back then, you know? I thought I still had a reason to hate you ‘cause of -- what happened.” 

Jeff grimaced, but nodded. He couldn’t really blame him for that. Hell, he kind of hated himself for that. For having a break in sanitity and doing that to his family. After all, he never really felt as close to his parents; at least, not like Liu had. Seeing those videos, those times again, made him think he was probably more of an outcast than he really was. But not with his brother; or so he remembered. Times had changed drastically because of what had happened; because of what he had done to them, and to Liu with his scarred face and own break in mentality. 

“It’s just,” Liu went on as Smiles again returned and the stick was thrown into the inky blackness of the night with the canine close behind, “I always kinda figured I’d never forgive you for doing that, you know. I mean,” Liu laughed curtly now, looking into the forest as Smiles returned once again, “who could forgive someone like that, you know? I sure as hell didn’t think I could.” Jeff’s heart fell momentarily at those words, until Liu turned back to him -- finally making eye contact, expression serious now. “But you’re still my brother. And I really can’t blame you now that I think about it. I probably would’ve done the same thing, somehow. I mean, those kids were assholes, yeah? They lit you on fire, and --  _ fuck _ .” That last word came as a sigh from Liu, brow furrowed as hatred ran through his eyes momentarily.

Jeff found himself chuckling alongside his brother now. Smiles whined and pawed at the brunette, practically shoving the stick at him. Liu grabbed it and threw it haphazardly, only giving a side eyed glance as to where he threw as he tried to still maintain eye contact.

“Glad I taught ‘em a lesson before you then, I guess,” Jeff said, almost weakly; though did his best to hide that in his voice. Liu’s expression turned to that of confusion and -- almost happy?

“Really?” he now laughed. “Like, killed them? Torchered them like they did you? Or --?”

“I don’t think you wanna know,” Jeff quipped. Liu seemed about to question his brother, before giving a nod. 

“Fair enough,” he shrugged. “So -- uh -- does this mean we’re, uh --”

“Good now?” Jeff butted in, stepping closer to his brother and taking the stick from Smiles and giving it a good toss before the dog could bother his brother again. “Yeah, man. We’ve always been good. Well, on my end, at least.” Liu’s expression had softened as Jeff looked back to him, before he smirked.

“I guess you’re right,” Liu nodded. He looked down to the ground again before looking back to Jeff, extending a hand towards his brother. “Yeah. I guess I can’t stay mad at you forever. You’re still my brother, and I can’t -- I can’t bring myself to hate you. Not anymore. Not when you and Allie are really the only things I still have left to hold on to in this god forsaken world we live in.”

Jeff raised a hand to meet his brother’s offering of peace -- and was surprised as, when their hands met, Liu pulled him into his taller frame; arms wrapping around his smaller one. Jeff tried to ignore the lump in his throat that formed quickly as he returned the gesture as his face rested in Liu’s shoulder momentarily, laughter emitting from the two before they eventually broke off. Grins covered both their faces as Smiles returned once again, now looking between the two expectantly to see which one would throw the stick this time around.

“Hey, we should probably head back,” Jeff said, gesturing back the way he had came before grabbing the stick from Smiles and throwing it in that direction with the dog darting quickly after. “The others are probably getting worried.”

“You mean your  _ boyfriend _ is getting worried,” Liu snorted as the two started their way back ‘home’; which earned him an elbow to the ribs and a muttered “shut up” from Jeff as they walked. “You’re right,” Liu snorted in agreement. “I guess he’d technically be your husband or something anyway since you have a kid together, right?”

“You’re an ass!” Jeff snorted in laughter as Smiles returned to them; though neither seemed to notice as the dog stopped in his tracks and dropped his stick, tail falling as he looked past the brother with Smiles allowing them to pass. Liu opened his mouth to reply and --

“ _ You’re an  _ **_ass_ ** .”

Both teenagers stopped dead in their tracks, eyes wide as Jeff’s voice reverberated from somewhere behind them. Only, it didn’t quite  _ sound _ like Jeff; especially since Liu was looking right at his brother when he previously spoke, and the pale faced killer’s lips had not moved when his voice resounded behind them. There came a growl from Smiles, who was now behind them at this point as well; and both turned to see the hackles on the dog’s back before he slowly morphed, hair seeming to fall out and body shift to show deep red skin as he stared into the darkness of the forest. Maybe they were just hearing things? They were both rather psychotic, after all, so it was possible.

This was not the case, as they quickly discovered. In the dim light filtering down, a claw suddenly wrapped itself around a tree not fifteen feet behind them, before a head slowly poked its way out. Only, it wasn’t a regular head. It looked like a deer’s skull with yellow eyes glowing in the sockets, one antler missing while the other rose gangly and twisted upwards in the moonlight. The body that followed was the closest thing it had to a human, albeit it was tall and looked like it hadn’t eaten in years. It’s legs were twisted and malformed, almost like a dog’s hind legs should look. It eyed the two closely as it moved onto the path they were on; Smiles now snarling loudly -- almost protectively -- at the creature, teeth likely bared.

“Oh  _ shit _ ,” Jeff breathed.

And as soon as he did so, the creature -- a Wendigo, if Liu’s memory served him right -- screeched loudly before charging at them with an inhumane gate. Smiles did his best to retaliate, to protect the two in some way, however was easily knocked out of the way by one of the creature’s clawed hands and being flung like a rag doll quite roughly against a nearby tree with a loud yelp and thump. Liu moved to help, going to pull something out of his jacket pocket.

“No, Liu!” Jeff shouted as he grabbed his brother’s arm and practically dragged him down the path and towards the house. “Run!”

Liu listened instantly; Jeff might have taunted him as the brunette pushed his younger brother ahead of him down the path had they not been in the predicament they were in now. Jeff could fight quite a few of the paranormal creatures he had run into with ease, or at least had the confidence to try to; with this creature, he knew he was well outmatched without actual, less human backup. No one would’ve been happy if he brought that thing back to their humble abode, but it was better than being slaughtered here in the middle of the woods with no one knowing the wiser -- or worse. Especially when he and Liu had seemingly just made up. Another deep screech was heard as the beast crashed through the forest behind them, and it almost seemed like it was gaining on them.

They turned a sharp bend, Jeff gaining distance between his brother quickly as Liu attempted to keep up. He never thought he’d actually be outran by his younger brother, but he supposed that in this situation, he’d rather the raven haired teen be leagues ahead of him than fall behind. His heart suddenly stopped as he felt his foot catch on something and his form quickly came crashing to the ground; the Wendigo not far behind.

“Liu!  _ Shit _ !” he heard Jeff cry as he stopped to stare wide eyed -- only to relax mildly as a white hand grasped his shoulder, which seemed to go unnoticed by his brother in the panic. Liu looked back, eyes wide as the Wendigo rounded the bend and closed in on Liu; Liu wanted to shout to his brother to keep running, to at least save himself or  _ something _ .

However, the beast stopped just short of the teenager, backing up as it stared up and past Liu. In an instant his eyes turned back towards his brother in horror -- only to widen more as Slenderman approached slowly, tentacles slowly slithering from his back with his featureless expression cocked to one side, staring back at the otherwise menacing creature. Out of all the times he never wanted to see the Tall Man angry or at all, Liu was for once glad the Eldritch entity had appeared almost out of nowhere. Said tall figure stepped easily over Liu’s fallen frame, Jeff close behind as he struggled to quickly help his brother to his feet.

The Wendigo was obviously intimidated by Slenderman -- or afraid, which Liu both could not blame it for, and was at the same time glad it was -- as it took a few cautious steps backwards with a rumbling noise reverberating from its slack maw. There came a tearing sound from Slenderman as the tentacles wriggled in frenzy, followed by a loud yet deep bellowing sound that caused Liu to almost fall back over in surprise as he got to his feet. Instantly the Wendigo turned and fled; the crashing sound as it retreated slowly becoming distant before silencing completely. 

Once it had quieted down and the sounds of the forest returned to normal, Slenderman slowly turned back towards the brother; a torn mouth where one should have naturally been quickly stitching itself back together as the tentacles retreated back to -- wherever the hell Slender kept them when not in use. His head cocked to one side as he approached them, easily towering over them as he looked between the two.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jeff breathed, still breathing heavily as he looked to his brother. “You good?”

“Aside from needing a new pair of pants?” Liu asked with raised brows. “Yeah, I think I’m fine. But Smiles --”

As if on cue, there came footsteps from behind the Tall Man before said demonic dog appeared at his side. Although he limped slightly and seemed to have a few scratches, Smiles was otherwise unharmed. Damn, if that dog wasn’t practically invincible, then nothing was. Slenderman moved a long arm and patted the dog on the head to which Smiles gave a happy yip in return before stepping forwards to sniff at first Jeff’s, then Liu’s legs curiously as if to make sure they were alright.

“Good boy!” Jeff almost cooed as he patted the dog on the head, Liu’s brow again furrowing as he looked at the tall figure staring down at them; Liu was sure it was expectantly.

“Uh, thanks, for that,” Liu said slowly, finally looking down at his feet as he scratched the back of his head. At least he wasn’t on the receiving end of that this time.

“Ah, it’s no sweat!” Jeff seemed to reply for Slenderman. “Besides,” Jeff chuckled as Smiles moved around them to continue back down the path, “if he’s my husband, that  _ kinda _ makes him your brother in law, right? It’s the least he can do, right?”

“Oh, shut up!” Liu tsked, now turning to his brother as he shoved him lightly due to the ease in which Jeff shifted his mood (though now couldn’t blame his brother; Slender was likely the strongest of those that resided there, making him an easy deterrent of such monsters). This earned a laugh from Jeff, who returned the shove with gusto. 

They might have continued their shoving until it turned into a wrestling match if not for Slenderman who, after looking between the two, slowly clasp each hand on one of their shoulders and turned them to face the direction they had been originally going.

“Aw, come on, Slendy!” Jeff jokingly whined as Liu felt the grip on his shoulder leave; however the one on Jeff’s shoulder stayed firm, albeit seemed to loosen as they began to walk now more calmly after Slenderman gave Jeff a slight nudge forward. “We were just having fun!”

“If by fun, you mean a near death experience, then sure,” Liu snorted as he rolled his eyes. Jeff merely cackled in response, mouth opening unnaturally as he grabbed his stomach. 

Sigh, what was Liu going to do with that maniac?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bam! One more part and I'm done! Note that while Jeff is considered somewhat immortal in my books and has a few odd powers, he and Liu are still, in a sense, quite mortal and don't have an outrageous amount of powers or abilities other than, you know, stabbing people or murdering them in their sleep. So, logically, they'd be unlikely to fight off a Wendigo unless they had help from one of the other, slightly powerful monsters. And Smiles is, well, Smiles. Aside from some normal dog stuff and maybe some added strength and bite power, I don't quite remember him being able to do anything special aside from mentally screw with people until they either killed themselves or shared his picture.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think of the story so far! I should have the ending done here shortly! Feedback is much appreciated.


End file.
